Posts from 2014

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

For meat that quite literally falls apart under your fork and melts in your mouth, there's no better cooking method than braising. But meaty cuts of beef, lamb, and pork don't get all the braising love — we can also make fantastic, flavorful braises with fish, chicken, and vegetables all by themselves.

What is a braise, exactly? How is it different from a roast or a soup? That's the topic of today's lesson, and by the end of it, you'll be more than ready to try one for yourself.

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

Today, we're switching from the stovetop to that big piece of equipment below it (or beside it): the oven. Let's talk about roasting. Roasting gets a lot of attention around the time of Thanksgiving turkey and Easter lamb, but this is also a technique that we can bring into our everyday home cooking. Ever tried roasting green beans? Or shrimp? Roasting is the perfect way to turn just about any ingredient into something dinner-worthy, and today we're talking about how.

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

Steaming doesn't have to mean mushy carrots. In the right hands, steaming is an elegant method for gently cooking foods to perfection — and not just vegetables, but also fish fillets, dumplings, custards, and plenty of other easy meals. When was the last time you pulled out your steamer basket?

In today's lesson, we'll talk about why you should dust it off and use it more often.

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

Boiling and simmering are the next two basic skills we're adding to our home cooking repertoire. With these solidly under our belts, we can poach eggs, simmer stews, reduce sauces, make stock and all sorts of other useful (and tasty!) kitchen endeavors.

Do you know what makes a simmer different from a boil? Or why recipes always say to bring to a boil, then down to a simmer? Let's dive in!

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

Sautéing is so fundamental to our cooking that most recipes just assume you already know how to do it. But what if you don't? Never fear because today we're hitting this basic technique from every angle. Whether you're a brand new cook or wondered for years if you've been doing it right, we'll make sure that you know exactly what to do when you step up to sauté.

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

When you hear "sauce," what do you think? Do the classic French mother sauces come to mind? Or maybe just a pesto or simple tomato sauce for pasta? Or a quick pan sauce to drizzle over steak?

A sauce can be many things, and as home cooks, it's important to understand some of the wonderful ways that sauces can enter into our cooking. While they can apear overly fancy or intimidating, sauces are an essential (and easy) way to polish your cooking. In today's lesson, we'll talk through some of the basics and help you put them into practice.

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

Pasta is one of the first things that many of us learned to cook, right after learning how to boil water. Could anything be simpler? Today, we're moving beyond what you probably already know and taking a look at fresh versus dried pasta, pasta cooking pitfalls, and yes, how to make a batch of fresh pasta.

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

Have you ever cooked a pot of beans from scratch? This can be a life-changing experience for home cooks. So creamy and full of flavor — a homemade pot of beans is miles beyond canned beans for sheer taste and potential.

Today we're talking about cooking with both dried beans and canned beans (yes, those have a place in our kitchens, too!), starting with what they are and ending with you in the kitchen.

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

Knowing how to cook a good pot of rice is another cornerstone of our home cooking. Once you have that mastered, you'll always have a quick side dish or the beginnings of a meal in your back pocket. You can also start to build on your skills to make risottos, delicious pilafs, and grain dishes that use anything from barley to farro. It all starts with you, a scoop of rice or grain, and a pot.

Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We're giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn's Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

Today is all about learning how to use fresh herbs and dried spices in your cooking — basil and dill, paprika and cumin, even salt and pepper. More accurately, we're learning how to season our dishes and make them taste amazing. It's not always as easy as knowing one herb from another or following a recipe precisely. It's a bit more of an art — an art you're about to master.